THIRTY Filipinos were repatriated from Haiti, which they said they had to leave owing to the unstable political and economic conditions.
Officials of the Philippine Embassy in Washington went to Haiti to assist in the repatriation of the 21 adults and nine minors, to the Philippines.
Deputy Chief of Mission Renato Pedro O. Villa and Assistance-to-Nationals Officer Ryan Dasal were in Haiti, from January 11 to 14 for the mission.
The Filipino community in Haiti petitioned to be repatriated because of the unstable economic and security situations in the country, caused by continuous civil unrest, crime and kidnapping.
Most of the minor repatriates will continue their studies in the Philippines.
The repatriates were divided into two groups—the Philippine Airlines (PAL) group of 17 repatriates, and Asiana Airlines group of 13 repatriates.
Both groups were scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Thursday, January 16.
Camilo Duran, an overseas Filipino worker in Haiti, and one of the repatriates, thanked President Duterte, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez for their assistance.
Besides these officials, Duran thanked the US Embassy in Por- au- Prince “for immediately approving our transit visa to New York,” and Haiti, and the Haitians who “gave us jobs and shelter for years. We pray that Haiti can overcome the challenges it is facing.”
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our overseas Filipinos remains a top priority of the Philippine government. The Philippine Embassy, along with the Philippine Consulates General and Honorary Philippine Consulates in the United States and in the Caribbean, are always here to listen and provide assistance to our kababayans as the need arises,” Ambassador Romualdez said in a separate statement.